


are lesbian farmers taking over rural etheria?

by clicheusername5678



Series: Catradora Oneshots [13]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Stardew Valley AU, adora is the farmer, and they fall in loooooove, catra lives in town
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-03-19 22:16:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18979426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clicheusername5678/pseuds/clicheusername5678
Summary: Adora quits her corporate job and escapes to Stardew Valley, where her late grandmother Mara has left her a farm. Here she finds Catra, a lost childhood friend who happens to live in town.





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> just a prologue for now! i have over 100 hours in this game and i love catradora, so... it's a logical combo

Adora sat in her cubicle within the Joja corporate headquarters, poring over the strange letter from Mara:

                             _Dear Adora,_

_If you’re reading this, you must be in dire need of a change._

_The same thing happened to me, long ago. I’d lost sight of what mattered most in life… real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong._

_I’ve enclosed the deed to that place… my pride and joy: Eternia Farm. It’s located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It’s the perfect place to start your new life._

_This was my most precious gift of all, and now it’s yours. I know you’ll honor the family name, my girl. Good luck._

_Love, Grandma_


	2. first day of spring - year 1

First Day of Spring – Year 1

Adora leaned her head against the bus window, earbuds in, as flowering trees rushed by. The voice of King Princess calmed her nerves as she went through the checklist in her head: moving truck en route, arriving in a few days. Duffel bag, stored up top. Money in her flannel’s front pocket. Her whole existence packed up, arriving in Stardew Valley in just ten more minutes.

There hadn’t been much to miss in her life working for Joja: her cubicle neighbors, Kyle and Rogelio, maybe. Her dingy car that she left with her friend Lonnie who drove for Uber. She wouldn’t need it much out here in the country, after all. And she was fairly certain her rich and mysterious grandmother had left her some sort of transportation along with the massive farm.

Honestly, there hadn’t been much for Adora in the city, ever since her favorite co-worker left to pursue a musical career. Apparently her passion for punk rock also had contributed to anti-establishment sentiments that led her to ditch Joja Corporation for good.

But that was behind Adora now, in the far-off past. After a several-month mourning period, she had come to accept that she’d never see her friend again. She was off in the world now, on the path to stardom, hanging out with people riskier and cooler than Adora ever could be.

And now, with this insane and random offer from her dead relative, Adora was going to start over. Did she know anything about farming? Hell, no. But she could learn, and hopefully utilize Mara’s leftover wisdom and materials.

There had to be people living in Stardew Valley, too. Sure, it was a smaller town, but Adora was sure she could find some folks to help her out, at least until she got the hang of it.

It was exciting, despite all the fear. And she’d always wanted a horse.

“Coming up on Stardew Valley,” the bus driver shouted, startling Adora to attention. She removed her earbuds and tucked them into her shirt pocket. Then she stood, reaching above her head for the massive duffel bag that contained a few days of clothes and toiletries.

She lost her balance and the bag went toppling. Adora caught it in a second, luckily before it whacked another passenger on the head.

She apologized and looked down at the ground. Her earbuds had fallen from the front pocket of her shirt.

Adora shoved them in a side pocket of her bag instead and headed down the narrow bus aisle to the front. As the vehicle began to slow she looked out the windows: this truly was a pastoral paradise, trees pink and white at the height of springtime.

She exited the bus, thanking the driver as she left, duffel bag at her side. As it drove away she got her first view of her new home.

It was gorgeous, and a gorgeous day to boot: one dirt road, backed up by bright green mountains and flanked by trees and greenery. The air smelled fresh and Adora could feel a breeze. No pollution, no sirens or car engines. No yelling voices or cursing or cigarette smoke.

And she was totally, completely alone.

She took out the map she had printed off the web. Mara’s farm wasn’t far from the bus stop, but the duffel bag was heavy. Adora sighed and opened the Uber app on her phone… only to see that there were exactly zero active drivers in the area.

In the distance, she could see a farm—not hers, but someone’s. Adora groaned as she hoisted up her bag, heading in that direction.

~

One trudge later, a very sweaty Adora arrived at the door of the farmhouse, her flannel tied around her waist. This farm seemed to be in operation, with barns for goats and cows and a chicken house. There were springtime crops and automatic sprinklers, and even a stable that Adora had to restrain herself from invading.

Adora knocked at the front door of the house and waited. She heard rustling and the door swung open, revealing a short older woman with messy grey hair.

“Hello, Mara, dear!” she greeted in a heavy French accent. Adora cocked her head.

“I… hi, I’m Adora, actually… her granddaughter?”

“Oh, yes,” said the woman, adjusting her wiry glasses. “I see. She told me you’d be arriving soon.”

“I’m sorry,” Adora said, “but she’s passed.”

“Oh, yes, I know,” the woman conceded. “But I still speak to her in my dreams.”

Adora didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Come in, come in!” the woman welcomed her. “Have some berries—I just foraged them!”

Adora shook her head. “I’m sorry, I… I actually have to ask you a favor. I have to get to Mara’s farm, she left it to me, but walking all the way with my bag…”

“I understand,” the woman said. “I’m Madame Razz.”

Adora raised an eyebrow and shook the woman’s spindly hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Razz said, “I will help you travel. Take Swift Wind, dearie. And a saddle.”

Adora blinked. “You… what? I can’t just…”

“Take the horse,” Razz said, glancing towards the stable. “He’s been waiting for you.”

“I couldn’t.”

“Please,” Razz said, putting her hands on Adora’s strong shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes. Razz pushed a strand of blonde hair, freed from Adora’s pony-bump, out of her face. “You look just like her, dearie.”

“Okay,” Adora said, nodding her head. “I’ll… take Swift Wind.”

“Can you ride?” Razz asked.

Adora nodded. “Yeah, sort of. I went on a wilderness retreat for work, once.”

At the same retreat she had gotten very drunk with a certain someone who shared her cabin… but it only hurt to remember what happened after. Especially since it had been so good.

“Well, you have to start somewhere, dearie,” Razz said, stepping out of her house and leading Adora to the stables. “Do you know the way to Mara’s farm?”

“I have a map,” Adora said as Razz hoisted a saddle off the wall of the wooden building. Adora quickly took it from the old woman’s hands.

Razz led Adora to the horse stalls, where only one animal resided. A large white horse with big eyes and a full mane.

Adora’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “I…”

“Go on,” Razz said, “say hello.”

Adora felt bliss as she placed her hand on the horse’s face. “This is the best day of my life.”

Razz chuckled. “His name’s Swift Wind.”

Adora frowned. “I… don’t quite remember how to ride.”

Razz nodded. “Well, like I said… you have to start somewhere. Let me show you, dearie.”

Adora nodded in awe as Razz hopped onto the horse. She had no idea how exactly she’d change from here on, but she hoped that some day she’d come to resemble this strange woman.

“The first thing to know,” Razz said, “is that you should always trust your steed. Then, he’ll trust you.”

“Okay,” Adora said, feeling the sudden urge to take notes. “What next?”

Razz smiled. “Well…”

~

Two hours and a berry snack later, Adora had Swift Wind trotting along the dirt road. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky a beautiful pink. Adora hummed to herself as her steed turned a corner and they passed a sign for Eternia Farm.

“This is us, Swift Wind,” Adora said. The horse whinnied and turned onto the property. Adora gasped at what she saw.

It was obvious that the farm’s former caretaker had passed. The land outside the farmhouse was overgrown and unturned, weeds poked up and stones were scattered beneath tall pine, maple, and oak trees.

The farmhouse itself was small, one or two rooms, with a fireplace and a tiny wooden deck out front. Adora dismounted Swift Wind there and fished through her bag for the house key.

She had been hoping for more resources outside—barns, tractors, seeds or a shed… but the place had been barren. Good bones, sure, but nothing much else. At least the farmhouse was furnished enough—there was a bed, a trunk, a small kitchen, a fireplace, and TV.

No note, though. No money. Adora was very glad she withdrew everything she had, in cash, and brought it with her. Somehow she doubted the small general stores would accept Apple Pay. Unless it was, like, an actual apple.

Adora chuckled at her own joke as she headed towards the fridge. The day of travel had made her pretty hungry.

Just like Mara’s farm, the fridge was barren. Adora groaned as she realized it wouldn’t be as easy as ordering Postmates.

She fished through the kitchen drawers, putting aside a letter opener shaped like a sword, until she found a map of Pelican Town, the most populated area of Stardew Valley. There was a general store, which mostly sold seeds and raw materials, a clinic, a community center, a museum, a blacksmith, a saloon, and… a JojaMart?

It seemed as though her former employer had followed her here with one of their ultra-profitable big-box stores. Although Adora resented the notion of purchasing groceries from the place she had essentially just left, she knew she’d need more than just a hot meal from the saloon to get her through the move-in process. She had to stock up, in bulk, and that’s what JojaMart was for.

Adora stepped outside and re-mounted Swift Wind. At least it was a beautiful evening.

An image of the map in her head, Adora journeyed to the Stardew Valley JojaMart.

~

It looked like every other JojaMart store she’d ever seen—the one in her hometown, the one in the city, the one she stopped in once on a road trip to the beach. White and blue, sterile, with sad-looking employees in blue polo shirts and white khakis. Bright freezers and shelves full of groceries and numbered checkout lines.

The only difference was that this store was eerily empty. There were a few employees wandering the aisles, two or three at the lines, but no customers to be found.

Adora walked the aisles with a creaking shopping cart, tossing in produce, soups, milk and eggs, and pasta. She cringed at the display of Joja Cola— _gross_.

Adora looked forward to enjoying some farm-fresh food eventually, but for now these basics would have to do. She made her way to checkout line 3 and began to load her items onto the belt.

But when she looked up at the cashier, she froze.

“Hey, Adora,” said the dark-skinned girl, a smirk spreading onto her freckled face. Her hair was long and wild as ever, her eyes mismatched, the sleeves of her polo rolled. Her nametag read ‘Catra.’ Adora hadn’t seen or heard that name in months.

“Catra,” Adora said, not even bothering to hide her surprise. “I thought you were—”

“Going big time with the band?” Catra asked, narrowing her eyes. “Yeah, me too. Turns out that’s easier said than done. Now I’m back workin’ for Joja, except I’m not even good enough for corporate anymore.”

“God,” Adora said. “I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t need your pity,” Catra shrugged. “I’m doing great. Totally awesome. Living with one of my bandmates, Scorpia, whose parents have a place here. Working a shit job in a boring shit town. And too sheepish to call you since I failed.”

Adora blushed. “I wish you had.”

Catra stretched her arms over her head. “Well, I’m a dumbass. What brings you here, Princess?”

Adora jumped at the name. “I, uh, quit Joja too.”

“Where are you living?”

“Uh, my grandmother left me a farm. Eternia Farm.”

Catra rolled her eyes. “Of course that’d happen to you.”

Adora put her hands on her hips. “You don’t have to be a jerk about it.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Catra said, beginning to scan Adora’s items. “Good to know at least you’re well off. And free from the bone-crushing grip of Joja.”

“Catra, I—” Adora began to say, and the following words she wanted to utter were ‘missed you.’ But as she shoved her hand into the front pocket of her flannel, fishing for her cash, she found… nothing.

“Oh, fuck,” Adora groaned.

Catra raised an eyebrow. “What’s up?”

“I lost my money,” Adora said. “All of my money.”

It must have happened on the bus. She had dropped her earbuds and the cash, but had only picked up the former. Stupid, stupid, stupid. That was all her money!

“I’m such an idiot,” Adora said, “and Catra, shit, I can’t pay for all this.”

Catra looked amused. “You got any savings?”

“I took everything in cash. I didn’t expect a fucking JojaMart to be in this rinky-dink town!”

Catra laughed. “Adora, I know you’re upset, but I can’t take you seriously when you say shit like ‘rinky-dink.’”

“Catra, this isn’t funny!”

“Okay, listen,” Catra said, swallowing her laughter. “You got any food, or is it dire?”

Adora lowered her head. “It’s… pretty dire.”

“Then I’ll foot the bill for this stuff,” Catra said, “but in exchange, you’re gonna treat me to dinner at the Stardrop Saloon once you start making money.”

“It might take a while,” Adora said, although a smile appeared on her face. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“It’s pretty simple,” Catra said, fishing out cash from her own pocket. “Plant some seeds—” Catra threw a few packets from the shelf behind her into a plastic bag—“Water them, grow some produce, and then put it in the bin or sell it at the general store.”

“I… I can do that,” Adora said, putting on a brave face. “And thanks.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Catra said, shooing Adora away. “Scorpia’s place is by the blacksmith. Come see us sometime, all right?”

“Okay,” Adora nodded. As she headed towards the sliding doors, Catra cleared her throat.

“Hey, Adora?”

Adora breathed. “Yeah?”

“I missed you too.”

As she mounted Swift Wind and prepared for the journey home, Adora smiled wider than she had all day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u sandy for reading


End file.
